The subject matter of the present invention includes dye compositions, especially for keratin fibers, such as human hair, which contain 1-alkyl-quinolinium derivatives with nucleofuge groups at the 2 or the 4 position.
Direct dye compounds or oxidation dye compounds, which produce dye colors by reaction of certain developer substances with certain coupler substances in the presence of suitable oxidizing agents, have been used for dyeing fibers, such as hair, wool or fur. Intense dye colors with good fastness are indeed obtained with oxidation dyestuffs, but the oxidizing agents used to develop these colors can cause damage to the fibers in some cases. Furthermore some oxidation dyestuff products cause allergic reactions in suitably disposed persons. Direct dye compounds are applied under safe conditions, but have the disadvantage that their colors often have unsatisfactory fastness.
From DE-OS 43 35 623 it is known to use a combination of indolinone derivative compounds and compounds with primary or secondary amino groups, heterocyclic or aromatic hydroxy compounds for dyeing keratin fibers. DE-OS 197 45 292 teaches the use of a combination of certain malonaldehyde derivatives, such as malonaldehyde-bis-dialkylacetalene and amines or CH active compounds, for example 1-ethyl-2-methylquinolinium iodide or 1,2-dimethyl-quinolinium iodide, for dyeing hair without the use of an oxidizing agent. From WO 00/38633 the use of a combination of quinolinium aldehydes and amines, amino acids or oligopeptides or CH active compounds for dyeing hair with oxidizing agents is known. Furthermore the use of a combination of 1-alkyl-methylquinolinium salts, carbonyl compounds and alkanol amines for dyeing of hair without oxidizing agents is known from DE-OS 199 50 404.
The compositions and methods for dyeing fibers known from the art are however not satisfactory in every regard. There is a great need for dye compositions, which dye fibers with intense colors, but with good fastness, such as light fastness, wash fastness and friction fastness, under mild conditions, which means at maximum about 50° C.